The Cougars lost…… at…..home….. I know, it totally doesn’t feel natural, like the Universe is out of tilt, I think we’ll survive. The two best teams in the Midwest League went toe-to-toe, and the Whitecaps came out on top.

At the Plate:

Shawon Dunston is heating up, he went 2-for-5 with two doubles (12 on the year), and an RBI.

Will Remillard was one of the few Cougars to get on base multiple times, he went 1-for-3 with a walk.

On the Mound:

Duary Torrez did everything he could to keep his team in the game, he finished his night with a no decision. Torrez worked six innings, giving up one run on five hits, while walking one, and striking out four.

Michael Heesch struggled with his command in this one, he worked three innings, giving up one run on two hits, while walking three (see?), and striking out three.

The Boise Hawks just couldn’t get the bats going in this one, as they could only manage one run on five hits in a 6-1 loss to the Hops.

At the Plate:

Danny Canela was one of the few Hawks to find some success, he was 1-for-4 with a double, he’s now hitting .281 on the season.

Danny Lockhart, David Bote, Jesse Hodges, and Bryant Flete all had one hit in the loss, all singles.

On the Mound:

Trevor Clifton got the start for the Hawks, and struggled throughout as he suffered his second loss of the season. Clifton worked 3.2 innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on six hits, while walking four, and striking out three.

Yomar Morel didn’t have much luck either out of the pen, he worked 1.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits, while walking one, and striking out one.

Tommy Thorpe was brilliant, he worked three perfect innings, registering two strikeouts.

MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

The Cougars built an early 3-1 lead only to watch it slip away at the hands of some suspect defense in the late innings. The Cougars committed three errors, and gave up three unearned runs in the loss, wasting another solid start from 19-year-old Jen-Ho Tseng.

At the Plate:

Carlos Penalver had a tremendous game today, he went 2-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored in the loss.

Ben Carhart had another solid effort, he went 2-for-4 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .259 on the season.

Yasiel Balaguert continues to be a threat at the plate, he went 1-for-4 with two RBI’s, he now has fourteen RBI’s on the season.

On the Mound:

Jen-Ho Tseng continued his strong 2014, he worked five innings, giving up three runs, two earned, on seven hits, while walking one, and striking out three. He lowered his ERA to 2.93 on the season.

Tyler Bremer was fantastic out of the pen, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while walking one, and striking out three.

Josh Davis took the hard luck loss in this one, he worked two innings, giving up two runs, both unearned, on two hits, while walking one, and striking out one.

The Smokies struck early and often in this one as they scored ten runs in the first six innings to cruise to a 10-5 victory over the Barons. The Smokies did get some help from the Barons, even if they didn’t need it, as Birmingham committed three errors and allowed three unearned runs.

At the Plate:

John Andreoli got things started from the lead-off spot in this one, he went 2-for-6 with a triple, an RBI, a stolen base, and two runs scored.

Rubi Silva was productive today, he went 2-for-5 with his first home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.

Kris Bryant was 1-for-5 with a walk, and an RBI, he’s now hitting .286 on the season.

Jae-Hoon Ha went crazy today, he was 3-for-5 with a double, his first home run of the season, an RBI, and three runs scored.

On the Mound:

Dae-Eun Rhee got the start tonight, and picked up his first win of the season despite some control issues. Rhee worked five innings, giving up two runs on four hits, while walking five (see?), and striking out four.

Austin Kirk did some solid work out of the pen, he was able to get through three innings, giving up two runs on four hits, he didn’t walk or strikeout anyone.

Tony Zych cleaned things up in this one, he worked one inning, giving up one unearned run on two hits.

Kyle Hendricks, and the rest of the Iowa pitching controlled this one from start to finish as the I-Cubs took care of Round Rock, 5-1. Offensively, it was the top of the Iowa order doing the heavy lifting as the one-two-three hitters combined to go 6-for-13 with two RBI’s.

At the Plate:

Matt Szczur did the job at the top of the order tonight, he was 3-for-4 with a triple, a stolen base, an RBI, and a run scored.

Arismendy Alcantara provided some power, he was 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season, an RBI, and two runs scored.

Javier Baez returned to the lineup yesterday, and was effective tonight, he went 1-for-3 with a run scored in the win.

On the Mound:

Kyle Hendricks was brilliant tonight as he picked up the win to move his record to 3-1 on the season. Hendricks worked six scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while walking two, and striking out six.

Yoanner Negrin was solid per usual out of the pen, he worked a scoreless inning, while striking out one.

Brian Schlitter worked two innings to pick up his third save of the season, he gave up one run on two hits, while walking two in his two innings of work.

The Daytona Cubs pulled this one out late after both teams scored early and often tonight. After four innings it was all tied at five, and no one could find the scoreboard again until the D-Cubs pushed across the winning run in the eleventh.

At the Plate:

Pin-Chieh Chen has had a great start to 2014, he was 2-for-5 with an RBI, he is now hitting .294 on the season.

Chadd Krist put together a solid game, he was 3-for-5 with a double, and a run scored.

Rock Shoulders provided some production, he was 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI, and a run scored.

Jeimer Candelario found some success tonight, he was 2-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Jake Arrieta made what is thought to be his final rehab start, and was effective. Arrieta worked 5.2 innings, giving up five runs, three earned, on five hits, while walking two, and striking out seven.

Andrew McKirahan only faced one hitter, but it was a big out as he got out of the sixth inning for Arrieta to keep the game tied.

Jose Rosario picked up the win out of the pen, and he deserved it. Rosario worked four scoreless innings, giving up three hits, while striking out four.

Arodys Vizcaino worked the last of the eleventh to pick up his fist save of the season.

THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

Iowa jumped out to a 3-0 lead early on in this one before having to fight back with two in the seventh to beat New Orleans 5-4. Definitely not how you draw up a typical win as the Iowa Cubs defense made six (SIX!) errors in this one, I guess a win is a win, time to forget that defensive “effort” .. yikes.

At the Plate:

Matt Szczur did a solid job from the lead-off spot, as he went 1-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored.

Arismendy Alcantara has been swinging it well lately, and he was good again today. AA went 1-for-5 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.

Chris Valaika is making a big push to get the call to the Majors, he was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. He is now hitting .361 on the season.

Christian Villanueva had an encouraging day at the plate, the third baseman was 1-for-2 with two walks, a double, and a run scored.

Logan Watkins made up for a rough day at the field with a solid day at the plate. Watkins went 2-for-2 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored to go along with his two errors.

Eli Whiteside also joined in the fun as he went 2-for-3 with a walk, and an RBI. The Cubs walked seven times in this one, good to see.

On the Mound:

Eric Jokisch got the start today, and was pretty good, except for fielding the ball as he made two errors as well. Jokisch worked 5.2 innings, giving up three runs, all unearned, on three hits, while walking two, and striking out five.

Alberto Cabrera was the first guy out of the pen for the Cubs, and earned his second win of the season. Cabrera worked 1.1 scoreless innings, he gave up one hit, while walking one, and striking out two.

Neil Ramirez had a solid outing today, he worked a scoreless inning, while walking one, and striking out three.

Brian Schlitter worked a bumpy ninth to pick up his second save of the season. Schlitter gave up one run on one hit, while walking one to close it out.

Rough go of it for the Smokies in game one, as they could only manage one hit as they were shut out by the Jackson Generals, 4-0. Command, or lack thereof, doomed the Smokies staff, but not much you can do when you get no runs of support.

At the Plate:

Dustin Geiger had the lone hit for the Smokies, as he went 1-for-2 to raise his average to .289 on the season. The Smokies walked just twice in this one, while striking out eleven times.

On the Mound:

Corey Black got the start tonight, and the loss, as he couldn’t find the zone consistently enough. Black worked four innings, giving up three runs on two hits, while walking five (see?), and striking out three.

Austin Kirk kept the Smokies in things as he worked two innings, giving up one run on one hit, while striking out one.

Tony Zych mopped things up in this one, and also saw the plate dancing around on him as he worked one scoreless inning, giving up two hits, while walking two, and striking out one.

It was all Kane County, all the time in this one, as the Cougars had a 10-0 lead by the fourth inning en route to their seventh straight win, a 13-1 thrashing of the Dragons. The Cougars pounded out nineteen hits in the win, and only allowed two against, pure domination.

At the Plate:

Jacob Hannemann got things off on the right foot from the lead-off spot all night, he went 2-for-6 with an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored.

Carlos Penalver was solid once again, as he went 2-for-5 with an RBI, his sixth stolen base of the season, and a run scored.

Ben Carhart played a big role in the production tonight, he went 2-for-6 with two doubles, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.

Yasiel Balaguert has been the catalyst for catastrophe for this club, he went 2-for-5 with a walk, and an RBI, his twelfth of the season.

Jacob Rogers also enjoys hitting doubles, he was 3-for-6 with two doubles, and two runs scored.

Danny Lockhart was on base all night, and scored most of the time as well. Lockhart went 2-for-3 with two walks, and four runs scored.

Will Remillard had a huge game from the bottom of the order, he went 4-for-5 with two doubles, and FIVE RBI’s in the win.

On the Mound:

Daury Torrez didn’t want to give the hitters all the spotlight in this one as he was flat out brilliant in picking up his second win of the season. Torrez worked eight innings, giving up one run on just two hits, while walking one, and striking out four.

Nathan Dorris worked the ninth and was able to hang onto that twelve run lead.

The Smokies were able to exact some revenge in game two as they fought back from an early 2-0 deficit to beat the Generals 3-2. The Smokies got a lot of help from the Generals defense as they committed two errors, and allowed two unearned runs to score, at that was the difference.

At the Plate:

Kris Bryant has been showing some solid patience at the plate as of late, he was 0-for-1 in this one, but had two walks. He now has walked eight times this season, and struck out thirteen times.

Charles Cutler was 1-for-2 with a double, his second of the season, and a run scored.

Jeudy Valdez had one of the bigger hits of the night, as he went 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored.

Taylor Davis was able to drive in the other Smokies run, he went 1-for-3 with said RBI.

On the Mound:

Dae-Eun Rhee got the start in game two and held his own after some early struggles, he worked four innings, giving up two runs on six hits, while walking one, and striking out four.

Hunter Cervenka picked up the win out of the bullpen, and was solid in doing so. Cervenka worked two scoreless innings, giving up three hits, while striking out three.

Armando Rivero made things interesting in the seventh (Doubleheaders in AA are seven innings), but was able to pick up his third save of the season. Rivero gave up one hit, and walked one, while strking out the side to close it out.

It’s been a season of discontent for Daytona, and that continued tonight as they fall to the Yankees 6-5 after erasing a four run deficit. The loss dropped Daytona to 2-12 on the season, just nothing going right.

At the Plate:

Tim Saunders continued his hot start to 2014, as he went 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season, a walk, a stolen base, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

Nice to see Albert Almora back in the lineup, he went 1-for-5 with a run scored.

Bijan Rademacher had a solid game, he went 1-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored in the loss.

Rock Shoulders seems to be getting hot, he went 3-for-4 with a walk, and an RBI in this one. The D-Cubs were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

On the Mound:

Rob Zastryzny got the start tonight, and was wild in the strike zone, as he worked four innings, giving up four runs on nine hits, while walking none, and striking out one.

Zach Cates was really good out of the pen, as he worked four innings, giving up one run on two hits, while walking one, and striking out two.

Arodys Vizcaino continues to impress in the early going, he worked one scoreless inning, giving up one hit, while walking one, and striking out three. Vizcaino topped out at 98 MPH tonight, a very good sign.

Andrew McKirahan ended up taking the loss as he worked one inning, giving up one run on three hits, while striking out one.

SPOTLIGHT GAME

At The Plate – Not much going for the Iowa offense, luckily they didn’t need much to walk away with a victory. Darnell McDonald was 2-for-2 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored in the win. J.C. Boscan had the big hit for Iowa as he was 1-for-3 with a double, and two RBI’s. The Cubs could only manage five hits in this one but they were 2-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

On The Mound – It was the Guillermo Moscoso show as he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before allowing a double, and that was it. Moscoso worked eight scoreless innings giving up one hit, two walks, and five strikeouts. Brian Schlitter was solid as usual as he worked a scoreless inning while walking one and striking out one to earn his eleventh save of the season.

At The Plate – Not much happening for the Cougars at the plate in this one as they were shut out and could only manage three hits the whole night. Albert Almora was 1-for-2 in the loss and also had to leave the game early with an apparent leg/hamstring injury, he briefly stayed in the game but came out the next inning. Marco Hernandez and Carlos Escobar each had one hit, all three Cougars hits were singles.

On The Mound – Jose Rosario got the start and also the loss, his fifth of the season as he was roughed up. Rosario worked five innings giving up five runs on six hits while walking four (not good) and striking out one. Sheldon McDonald was outstanding in relief going three scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out three. Michael Hamann worked one inning out of the pen and got into some trouble before escaping unscathed, he worked one scoreless inning giving up one hit while walking one and striking out one.

At The Plate – Daytona was cruising in this one as they led 6-0 into the bottom of the eighth inning, that’s when thing got uncomfortable. Dunedin put five runs on the board in the bottom of the eighth to get within one, luckily the D-Cubs stopped the bleeding and held on to win 6-5. Zeke DeVoss was productive out of the lead off spot going 3-for-5 with three RBI’s. Ben Carhart continues his solid 2013 as he went 3-for-5 with two RBI’s, he’s now hitting .277 on the season with 38 RBI’s. Bijan Rademacher was 2-for-4 with two doubles, and an RBI, those are his first two doubles since being called up to Daytona (17 AB). Pin-Chieh Chen was 1-for-2 with two walks (Cubs Way!), a triple, and two runs scored.

On The Mound – Pierce Johnson got the start in this one and picked up his first win with Daytona in his third start. Johnson worked five scoreless innings giving up five hits while walking one and striking out five. Austin Reed was solid out of the pen as he worked two scoreless innings giving up one hit and walking one. Jeffrey Lorick doesn’t have many bad games, this was one of them as he worked one inning giving up five runs on four hits while walking one and striking out two. Dayan Diaz took over for Lorick and was barely able to hang on for the save which was the his first of the season. Diaz worked one scoreless inning giving up three hits before escaping some big time trouble.

At The Plate – The Smokies fell behind quickly in this one and could never recover as they were trailing 7-1 by the bottom of the fourth en route to an 8-2 defeat. Not much going offensively but the big news from the day and the game was the debut of Javier Baez, he went 1-for-4 with his first AA home run on his first AA swing of that bat. Christian Villanueva has put together a pretty decent season so far, he was 1-for-4 with his eleventh home run of the year, and his forty-second RBI. Rubi Silva had a solid game going 2-for-4 with two singles, he’s now hitting .264 on the season.

On The Mound – Austin Kirk got the start for the Smokies and had a rough go of it as he suffered his third loss of the season. Kirk worked two innings giving up six runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out two. Yeiper Castillo was outstanding out of the pen going five innings giving up one run on four hits while walking three and striking out four. Kevin Rhoderick struggled with his command again in this one, he worked two innings giving up one run on one hit while walking three (the command thing).

At The Plate – Not a great day all around for Iowa as they lost both ends of the doubleheader to Albuquerque. Logan Watkins was solid in game one going 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a walk, he also made his ninth error of the season. Junior Lake continues his solid 2013 going 1-for-3 with two walks (Cubs Way!) in game one, he’s now hitting .319 on the season. The Cubs worked six walks in game one (good!) however they were 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position (bad!). Game two saw much of the same as the Cubs worked four walks, but could only manage five hits, and were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.

On The Mound – Jake Arrieta made his Cubs debut in game one and was only able to work one inning before the rains came. Arrieta struggled with his command as he gave up one run on one hit while walking two and striking out two in his inning of work. Esmailin Caridad took over and also took the loss as he went three innings giving up two runs, one earned, while walking one and striking out two. In game two Barret Loux was outstanding but still wound up on the losing end as the Cubs couldn’t muster any offense. Loux went six innings giving up one run on four hits while walking four and striking out six.

At The Plate – The Hawks were able to pound out ten hits in this one but couldn’t push across any runs except for in the third when they scored three times. Daniel Lockhart had a solid game, minus one error, he was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Yasiel Balaguert was 1-for-3 with a walk, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .272 on the season. Jacob Rogers was the offense in this one as he was 2-for-4 with his third home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored. The Hawks only had five chances with runners in scoring position despite having ten hits, they finished the game going 2-for-5.

On The Mound – James Pugliese was finally roughed up, he worked five innings giving up five runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out six. Scott Frazier was solid out of the pen going two scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one and striking out one. Zack Godley, and Matt Iannazzo each worked a scoreless inning in relief to keep the Hawks in the game during the late innings.

At The Plate – Iowa had plenty of opportunities in this one but finished the night 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and on the wrong end of a 3-1 final. Brent Lillibridge was 3-for-5 out of the leadoff spot with three singles in the loss. Welcome back Junior Lake, since returning from the injury Lake has been on fire, he was 2-for-3 in this one with a walk, a double, and an RBI, he’s hitting .429 on the season.

On The Mound– Chris Rusin was brilliant in this one and still wound up with his sixth loss of the season, he has a 3.67 ERA, doesn’t seem right to be 4-6. Rusin worked eight strong innings giving up two runs on three hits while walking two and striking out seven. Brian Schlitter worked one inning out of the pen giving up one run on two hits while striking out one, he now has a 1.35 ERA on the season.

At The Plate – Tennessee was never really in this one as they fell behind 4-0 by the fourth inning and could only manage one run on eight hits in the loss. Matt Szczur continued his solid season going 3-for-4 out of the leadoff spot, all three hits were singles, Szczur is now hitting .296 on the season. Jonathan Mota was 2-for-4 with his third home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored in the loss.

On The Mound – Austin Kirk, who has been pitching for Daytona all year was promoted to Tennessee and made his debut tonight, it was a rough one. Kirk worked six innings giving up six runs on ten hits while walking two and striking out four, he took the loss. Tony Zych was solid out of the pen working one scoreless inning giving up one hit while striking out one. Hunter Cervenka is starting to settle down for Tennessee, he has struggled since his promotion but was solid in this one working one scoreless inning while striking out two.

At The Plate – The Daytona Cubs fought back in the eighth and ninth but came up just one run short, losing 7-6 to Brevard County. Tim Saunders who has struggled this year had a solid game going 2-for-4 with three RBI’s in the loss. Javier Baez continues to improve at the plate; he was 2-for-5 with a run scored and is now hitting .281 on the season. Zeke DeVoss had an outstanding game going 3-for-3 with three singles, three stolen bases, and three runs scored (THREE). Wes Darvill was 2-for-4 out of the ninth spot with an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Matt Loosen struggled at Tennessee so he was demoted to Daytona and made his 2013 debut tonight, it didn’t go so well. Loosen struggled working five innings giving up six runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out four, he took the loss. Jeffrey Lorick worked two innings giving up one run on two hits out of the pen. Austin Reed was solid going two scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out one.

At The Plate – Kane County was able to push across a run in the seventh inning to break a 2-2 deadlock and eventually beat Burlington 3-2. Jeimer Candelario continues to have a strong 2013, he was 1-for-4 with his second home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Bijan Rademacher continues to hit, he was 2-for-4 with a double, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .324 on the season. Carlos Escobar had a solid night going 2-for-4 with his first triple of the season, and two huge RBI’s.

On The Mound – Tayler Scott, the newly named all-star showed why he belonged on that roster tonight as he was outstanding. Scott worked seven innings giving up two runs, on earned, on eight hits while walking three, he didn’t strike out anybody, how odd is that? Steve Perakslis was solid out of the pen as he worked two scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking two and striking out two.

At The Plate – After a stretch of some really solid baseball, and wins, the Iowa Cubs have found themselves struggling again. Iowa couldn’t really put anything together in this one; sure they scored three runs on eight hits but were 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Dave Sappelt had a solid day going 2-for-4 with his first stolen base, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .276 at Iowa. Brent Lillibridge accounted for part of the offense; he was 1-for-4 with his fifth double of the season, and an RBI in the loss.

On The Mound – Chris Rusin was knocked around a bit in this one, but still managed to get deep into the game, unfortunately he was still hung with his fifth loss of the season. Rusin worked seven innings giving up five runs on twelve hits while striking out four. Michael Bowden was solid, as he was with the big league club for the most part, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one and striking out three. Casey Coleman worked just one-third of an inning in this one, and did it in a scoreless fashion.

At The Plate– Thanks to the weather Daytona only needed seven innings to take care of Brevard County 5-0. The top Cubs prospects are really starting to heat up at the plate; Javier Baez is one of those guys. After a monster day on Saturday Baez had a solid Sunday, he was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored and is now hitting .281 on the season. Ben Carhart had a solid game as well going 2-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored. Jorge Soler was 1-for-4 with two RBI’s, that gives him thirty on the season, and he is now hitting .294 for the year.

On The Mound – Austin Kirk was all that Daytona needed as he went the distance for a “complete game” victory to improve his record to 6-2 on the season. Kirk worked six scoreless innings giving up five hits while walking three and striking out seven, he lowered his ERA to 4.50 in the victory.

At The Plate – Really nice win for the Cougars who have been struggling as of late, they needed extra innings but they got the job done. Big day from the big names in the Kane County order as the two through four hitters were a combined 8-for-13 with two doubles, a home run, and one RBI. Albert Almora looks to be back to 100% health as he was 3-for-4 with a double, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .475 on the season. Dan Vogelbach had a productive day going 2-for-4 with a double, his eight home run of the season (VIDEO), a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored. Jeimer Canderlario is really coming around as of late, he was 3-for-5 with three singles, he’s now hitting .259 on the season.

On the Mound – The Cougars pitching was outstanding in this one as they shut down a very good Cedar Rapids lineup. Michael Heesch got the start and did not factor in the decision, but was solid and kept Kane County in it. Heesch worked six innings giving up two runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out four. Steve Perakslis was brilliant out of the bullpen going three scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out three. Eddie Orozco worked a scoreless tenth inning to earn his third win of the season as the Cougars walked off in the bottom half.

At The Plate – The Iowa Cubs are on to something as they continue to play some solid baseball, and more importantly get wins. Brett Jackson had a solid game going 1-for-3 with a walk, his fourth stolen base of the season, and a run scored. Donnie Murphy is putting together a solid season, he went 2-for-4 with his fourth double of the year, and a run scored. Edwin Maysonet was 1-for-3 with his fifth home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored. Brent Lillibridge has found his power at triple A, I didn’t think he could ever hit a home run, but he was 2-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Chris Rusin was absolutely brilliant and has really found a groove as of late, he earned his fourth win and lowered his ERA to 3.55 on the season. Rusin worked eight strong innings giving up one run on six hits while striking out eight, and no walks, outstanding. Eduardo Sanchez worked the final inning giving up one run on three hits while striking out one.

At The Plate – Really good game between two solid teams, and it ended with the Smokies hanging on for a 3-2 victory. Arismendy Alcantara was 1-for-4 with his eighth home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Christian Villanueva padded his slugging numbers in this one, he was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, and a run scored. Anthony Giansanti was 1-for-4 with a run scored, and two huge outfield assists in the win.

On The Mound – Kyle Hendricks was solid yet again, and is turning into the ace of the Smokies staff. Hendricks went 6.2 innings giving up two runs on six hits while walking two and striking out six, he improved his record to 5-2 with the win, and lowered his ERA to 2.47 on the season. Kevin Rhoderick continued to struggle with his command, but was able to pitch around it, working one scoreless inning while walking two. Frank Batista was solid again in picking up his seventh save of the year; he worked 1.1 scoreless innings giving up one hit.

At The Plate –Outstanding comeback win for Daytona as they scored once in the bottom of the ninth to tie it, then walked off in the eleventh. John Andreoli continues to have a solid 2013, he was 2-for-6 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .312 on the season. Javier Baez was the hero last night, he went 2-for-6 with a game winning, walk-off homer in the eleventh, his seventh of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Ben Carhart had a solid game going 1-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored in the win.

On The Mound – Austin Kirk struggled a bit with his command but was still able to work around most of the trouble, he went five innings giving up three runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out three. Austin Reed was okay out of the pen working two innings giving up one run on two hits while walking one. Eduardo Figueroa, Larry Suarez, and Frank Del Valle were solid the rest of the way, shutting down the Yankees over the final four innings. Del Valle worked the final two innings to get the win, his third of the season.

At The Plate – Tough luck for the Cougars as their rally was cut short by Mother Nature, they scored three times in the fifth to make it 7-5 then the skies opened up and the game was called after five and a half innings. Pin-Chieh Chen was 1-for-3 with his second triple of the season, and two RBI’s in the loss. Gioskar Amaya had a solid game going 1-for-1 with two walks (Cubs Way!), a double, and a run scored. Dan Vogelbach had a productive day going 1-for-3 with his seventh home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Dillon Maples has been having a rough go of it since returning from injury, last night the walks got him into big trouble. Maples worked three innings giving up seven runs on four hits while walking five (see?), and striking out five. Lendy Castillo took over and was solid, going two scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one and striking out two.

At The Plate – The Cubs were out of this one right away as Las Vegas piled up eight runs in the first four innings to make it 8-2 en route to a 9-4 victory. Edwin Maysonet was 2-for-5 with his second home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Brian Bogusevic doesn’t stop hitting, he was 1-for-2 with his fifth home run of the season, a stolen base, an RBI, three walks (Cubs Way!), and a run scored. Brett Jackson was 1-for-3 with his third triple of the season, and a run scored in the loss. Donnie Murphy also got in on the home run fun, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, his third home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Guillermo Moscoso got the start and was torched by the 51’s as he suffered his first loss of the season. Moscoso worked four innings giving up eight runs on six hits while walking four and striking out seven. Casey Coleman was brilliant out of the pen going three scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out two. Hisanori Takahashi worked two innings giving up one run on three hits while striking out two.

At The Plate – The D-Cubs jumped all over Jupiter early, taking a 6-1 lead in the third en route to an 8-4 victory, their second straight. Daytona pounded out twelve hits in the win, and were 4-for-12 with runners in scoring position. John Andreoli was outstanding going 3-for-5 with two runs scored; he surprisingly didn’t steal a base in this one. Javier Baez was 1-for-5 with his twelfth double of the season, an RBI, and two runs scored, and he committed his twentieth error of the 2013. Jorge Soler was 1-for-3 with two walks, and two RBI’s, he’s now hitting .299 on the season after slumping for a few weeks. Dustin Geiger loves to drive in runs, he was 2-for-5 with a double, and two RBI’s, that gives him 39 on the season. Chadd Krist had a solid game going 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, and two runs scored in the win.

On The Mound – Austin Kirk got the start tonight and righted the ship to get his fifth win of the season. Kirk worked five innings giving up one run on three hits while walking two and striking out two, nice to see this kind of outing from Kirk who had struggled mightily in May. Luis Liria struggled out of the pen going 1.2 innings giving up two runs on two hits while walking one and striking out one. Hunter Cervenka has been so very good this year, and was effective tonight. Cervenka worked 2.1 innings giving up one run on four hits while walking three and striking out two, earning his fifth save of the season.

At The Plate– The Cougars fell behind 5-0 by the second inning and were really never in it as they wound up losing 9-2 to the Chiefs. The Cougars had the same amount of hits as the Chiefs did (10), but scored seven less runs as they were 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The big news of the night was the return of Albert Almora who was making his 2013 debut after recovering for surgery to remove a broken hamate bone. Almora didn’t disappoint as he was 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored, too bad he wasn’t up with guys on base tonight. Eight of the nine starters had hits for the Cougars in this one; it really was a challenge to score only two runs. The Cougars had three extra base hits in the loss, the Almora double, a Dan Vogelbach double, and a Gioskar Amaya triple.

On The Mound – Michael Heesch was very good in the early going this year, but has struggled recently, that includes tonight. Heesch suffered his fourth loss of the season as he worked 6.2 innings giving up five runs, four earned, on six hits while walking one and striking out three. Eddie Orozco wasn’t much better out of the pen as he could only retire one hitter giving up two runs on three hits while striking out one. Brian Smith was also touched up as he worked one inning giving up two runs, one earned, on one hit while walking two and striking out two.

At The Plate – It was smooth sailing for the Smokies until the eighth inning when they saw their 4-2 lead turn into an 8-4 deficit that the Smokies couldn’t overcome. In an odd stat, the Smokies were caught stealing four times in this game, that’s usually doesn’t bode well when you make that many outs on the bases. Arismendy Alcantara was 2-for-3 with a run scored in the loss. Rubi Silva was 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, and two caught stealings. Jair Fernandez had a big day going 2-for-3 with a walk, his first home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

On The Mound- Eric Jokisch was solid in this one, but did not factor into the decision. He went 6.2 innings giving up two runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out five. Trey McNutt was roughed up out of the pen going two-thirds of an inning giving up two runs on two hits. Brian Schlitter wasn’t much better as he took the loss, he worked two-thirds of an inning giving up four runs, two earned, on three hits while striking out one.

At The Plate – Another day, and another disaster turned in by Daytona, at this rate they probably wish the weather turned crappy again. They were thoroughly dominated by the 15-23 Stone Crabs as Daytona still can’t find their offense that has been MIA since all the rain outs. The D-Cubs could only manage one run on five hits in this one, all five hits were singles, they only walked once, and struck out ten times. John Andreoli, Javier Baez, Dustin Geiger, Ben Carhart, and Chadd Krist all recorded one base hit each in the loss.

On The Mound – Austin Kirk wants April back as he has been atrocious in May. Kirk got the start today and was handed his second loss as he went four innings giving up six runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out four. Luis Liria did a solid job out of the pen as he worked two scoreless innings giving up three hits while striking out one. Sheldon McDonald was good as well going two scoreless innings giving up three hits while striking out one, no that’s not a typo they had the exact same numbers. Frank Del Valle struggled a bit going one inning giving up one run on two hits while walking two and striking out two.

At The Plate – Solid win for the Cougars as they brought their record back up to .500 at 18-18, and it’s a win over the Cardinals system so that’s always fun. The Cougars pounded out eleven hits while scoring four runs and were 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Bijan Rademacher likes to hit baseballs, he was 2-for-4 with a run scored in this one, he is now hitting .360 on the season. Dan Vogelbach was 2-for-4 at the plate with two strikeouts, I only mention that because it’s rare, he usually puts the bat on the ball. Willson Contreras is putting a nice little season together right now, he was 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBI’s, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .294 on the season. Marco Hernandez was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and a caught stealing, one of two by the Cougars in the game.

On The Mound – Tayler Scott is having himself quite a season so far, and he was dominant today. Scott went 7.1 scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking two and striking out two to get his second win of the season. Nathan Dorris has been even better this year, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings to earn his third save of the year, he gave up one hit in doing so.

The Venezuelan Summer League Cubs were back in action today, and things went much better as they didn’t give up twenty-two runs again, but they still lost 8-7 to the VSL Phillies, full box score is here.

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